Dungeon Of Desire Level 1

Heads turned when Xunaxa entered the tavern at the sign of the Black Bear. She was used to it, but it still hurt. It wasn't her appearance -- her hood hid her white hair, her grey skin, her black eyes and lips -- so much as her presence. She unsettled people.

Well, most people. Theayala was sitting at a table near the back of the common room, looking at her with a warm smile. The green eyes were the same, large and bright in the slim face. The greenish tinge of her brown hair and the nut brown of her skin somehow matched the deep purple of her robe.

Xunaxa returned the smile, hoping she didn't look awkward. Lowering her hood, and blocking her ears to the murmurs, she made her way across the floor to join the elf.

"Xunaxa. So wonderful of you to come." The taller woman rose and, taking her hands, kissed her lightly on the cheek. Her voice was warm and soft, like the breasts Xunaxa felt pressing against her through the material of the elf's robe.

Elves are supposed to be flat! Her tits are bigger than mine, how's that possible?

The memory from a week before, of that one night together, welled up with a shiver that slithered down her spine to nestle between her legs. Forcing herself to ignore it, she returned the smile and muttered something that she hoped sounded polite.

"Please, sit. Meet Lurrock."

For the first time, Xunaxa became aware of someone else at the table. A dwarf, almost as wide as he was tall it seemed, with a wiry dark beard that covered his entire face except for his eyes. His head was bald, though, and marked with a large tattoo. A hammer, to match the one that stood against the wall.

She nodded at him and chose a seat with her back to the wall. Almost without thinking she ran her fingers over the wood of the bench until they encountered an old nail sticking out. A few wiggles loosened it.

Beside her, the dwarf glanced at her slitted black eyes and grinned back. "Coming along for this little jaunt, are you?" His voice was like a rockfall deep underground.

"Whatever this little jaunt is." She looked at Theayala. "Your note didn't say." The nail was almost out.

"It is no secret. Simply a small job, for good silver. I expect one more, and then-- ah, here he is now!"

Xunaxa looked up, the freed nail between her fingers, and almost forgot to breathe.

The most handsome man she'd ever seen had walked into the tavern, pausing to peer around. Tall, broad-shouldered. Curly brown hair fell over a square brow. Between clear grey eyes, a straight nose led down to full red lips above a firm chin that showed a hint of stubble. He wore a jacket and tight leather breeches that clung to his legs in a way that made Xunaxa jealous of them.

Theayala rose and beckoned the man over. He walked with a measured tread, eyes taking in everyone else in the tavern. When he reached their table he halted. "You're Theayala? I'm Arivor. The Temple sent me." His hand -- lean, with long fingers and a scar along the back -- went up and pulled a pendant from under his jacket.

The Shield and Sword,

Xunaxa thought.

A fucking Knight of the Temple of the Shield and Sword. Whatever job Theayala wants us to do, it just became a lot less fun.

The man called Arivor seemed to have drawn the same conclusions about her. "A she-demon!"

She rose, fist clenched around her nail, and grinned deliberately to show her teeth and tongue. "What's the matter, knight? Afraid for your virtue? Afraid you might--?"

"Cease this!" Theayala's voice was still soft, but it held a firmness that made them both shut up and turn to her. "You are both worthy of being here. Either respect each other, or leave."

Xunaxa was breathing heavily, she realised. She wasn't going to leave.

Nor was Arivor, it seemed. He flushed, but gave a curt nod and took the final seat. Xunaxa let her tongue slither out to its full length before sitting. Theayala gave them both a stern look before turning to the innkeep and waving him over, then took her own seat.

"Tiefling." Lurrock spoke up suddenly in his gravelly voice. "Not a demon. Just a trace of demon blood." He seemed to want to say more, but broke off when he noticed everyone was looking at him. "What? It's important to get the facts right. Tiefling, not demon."

Theayala smiled at him. "Thank you, Lurrock. Now, we are all here. My name is Theayala. You are Lurrock, Xunaxa and Arivor. I have asked for you to join me in meting out justice."

"Justice." Arivor's tone held satisfaction, perhaps even a hint of eagerness. "The Grand Master told me it's about the goblins."

Before Theayala could reply, a low rumble erupted from Lurrock like a distant earthquake. "Mudspawn fuckers!"

The elf smiled at him. "Quite. And yes, my dear Arivor, the Grand Master volunteered the Temple's services in addressing the goblin plague."

"Is it really a plague, though?" Not that Xunaxa cared, but she sensed that her question would needle Arivor. She smiled sweetly. Below the table, her fingers were working at the nail, twisting and bending it.

One more link for Demon's Tongue.

Arivor turned his stern gaze on her, and it took an effort to maintain her smile. A sudden heat almost made her squirm.

Fuck! Where did that come from? He's pretty, but he's a boor!

The knight opened his mouth to speak, but Theayala was faster. "Plague or not, they are causing unrest, and the Citadel believes it is time to do something about them." She gave a sad smile. "It was that unfortunate business with Guildman Foffer's wife, I believe."

Arivor scowled, and Lurrock gave another rumble. Xunaxa looked a question at the elf.

"The poor woman was caught and... molested by the local goblin chief." For all the sympathy in Theayala's voice, the Guildman's wife might have been attacked by a kitten. "A reward has been placed on his head. We are going to collect it."

*

"Hey, Arivor! What does your Temple say about home invasion? Because that's what we're going to do, isn't it?"

Xunaxa put a concerned look on her face as the knight spun around. She'd discovered that the tall man took himself very seriously.

"This isn't a home invasion!" he growled. A blush was spreading across his cheeks, though. "We're doing the Temple's work by ridding the land of dangerous monsters."

She thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "I understand. We wouldn't want them coming to our homes and killing us without provocation, would we?"

"That's--" Arivor began, then paused. "Stop twisting my words. These are evil creatures. Just as my armour protects me," he smacked a leather gauntlet against his mail, "so the Temple and its Knights protect the land. These goblins have been stealing livestock for months and--"

"And nothing was done about it until that Guildman's wife was ravished by the goblin chief."

The flush, which had begun to subside, returned to Arivor's cheeks. He was about to reply, teeth gritted, when he was interrupted by a low rumble from ahead.

"Shut it, both of you. I'm getting sick of your bickering."

They turned at the same time to face the dwarf, standing further up the slope half a dozen paces ahead of them. Theayala, following just behind him, smiled and added in much gentler tones, "We are a team. If we allow discord to come between us now, what chance will we have in the goblins' lair?"

Xunaxa had been about to reply to Lurrock with a cutting remark, but the elf's words made her swallow it. There was something about the elegant elf-woman, with her calm demeanour and air of deeper sensuousness, that made her want to be a better person.

Arivor didn't appear to feel the same way. "For as long as this she-demon insists on taunting me, I'll defend my actions and my choices."

"Fuck you!" Xunaxa felt anger boil up inside her. "Who are you calling a demon?"

The look he gave her was full of disdain and distaste. "Your eyes are black, and slitted. Your tongue--"

"Ah, now we're getting to it! Been fantasising about my tongue, have you? Never encountered anything like that in your precious Temple, have you?" She let her tongue slither out, then licked her lips suggestively.

"Don't think you can tempt me, demoness!" The knight's cheeks were redder than ever. "Just stay away--"

"Tiefling," Lurrock interrupted. "I said it before. Tiefling, not a demon." And he turned and began to stride up the hill again.

Arivor looked as if he was about to continue the argument, then he shrugged. Throwing a dark look at Xunaxa, he hitched his shield on his shoulder and set off after the dwarf.

Xunaxa didn't follow immediately. She was fast and light on her feet, and not weighed down by chainmail, shields and heavy weapons like the men were. She could catch up in moments, if she wanted to. Right now, she wasn't sure she did.

Instead, she took a deep breath and turned to look back the way they'd come. Under the dark afternoon sky, the ground sloped away to rolling moorland and the village of Greybrook beyond. Their small party had set out from the Black Bear at dawn, with tempers already fraying.

It was Theayala who'd called them together. The Temple had sent Arivor at her request, and how she knew Lurrock Xunaxa didn't know. She herself had only met the purple-robed sorceress the week before, back in Port Mediston.

She still wasn't comfortable with the memory, or the emotions it evoked, and she let her mind skitter away from it and return to the present. There was a reward for bringing the goblin chief's head back to Port Mediston -- twenty silver nobles, put up by the Temple, the Guildhalls and the Citadel. And an extra noble for every right thumb of an adult goblin.

Grisly, perhaps, but Xunaxa didn't have much choice. Work was work, and silver was silver, and both were scarce for a tiefling. Fussy eaters are the first to starve, as the poet said, and Xunaxa wasn't ready to starve for the sake of a few goblins.

Nor was Lurrock. Xunaxa guessed he'd have joined their party even without the promise of silver. Mudspawn, he called them, and let his hand stroke the heavy hammer that hung on his belt. Xunaxa wondered whether all dwarves hated goblins this much, or whether it was personal.

Arivor was here at his Grand Master's instructions of course. Still, he seemed to relish it. A chance to do good, protect the people of Greybrook and Port Mediston and everywhere in between. Take vengeance for what had happened to the Guildman's wife. And not think too much about the rights and wrongs.

Not that Xunaxa cared much about right or wrong. Even if she did, she had no issue with this job. The goblins had taken their transgressions too far, and needed a slap on their wrist. Preferably the kind of slap that ended up with another thumb to show the silver-keepers back in Port Mediston.

But it amused her to taunt the knight. She turned to look up the slope, ready to follow her companions, and found Theayala looking at her.

The elf hadn't moved, it seemed. The two men were already a score of paces up the hill, labouring in their heavy gear, the clanks and grunts of their efforts carrying easily on the slight breeze.

Xunaxa met Theayala's gaze and smiled. She wasn't sure of herself around the elf-woman, which made her angry. But when those bright green eyes turned on her...

Getting a grip of herself, she walked forward. It felt awkward, as if she had to think about moving naturally. Like having to tell her legs how to step, where to place her feet. When she drew level, Theayala joined her and they continued up the slope together.

"What were your thoughts, gazing back where we had been?"

Xunaxa wasn't particularly startled by the question. She'd discovered that the elf had a habit of being personal. Even so, she wasn't quite certain what to say. She wasn't even very certain what she'd been thinking.

She cast a glance at the other woman, noticing again the movement of her breasts beneath the soft purple of her robe. They seemed to intrude whenever she was talking to the elf.

Tearing her eyes away, she gave a grunt. "Just thinking about the job. The nobles."

"Ah, the reward." The elf continued, eyes distant, almost as if she was in a trance. "What we all do for silver."

"We do whatever we have to, as long as we need to eat." Xunaxa heard the bitterness in her own words. She didn't care. "Why are you here? You didn't give me the impression that you needed money."

The high eyebrows lifted a little at that, even though the elf didn't turn, or even lose her dreamy expression. "Did I not? Perhaps so. Yet silver is always a useful tool, and what better way to acquire it than by doing a good service?"

At the back of her mind Xunaxa knew it wasn't a real answer, but it seemed good enough. She grunted again and let silence fall over their presence.

It wasn't long before they caught up with the men. They'd halted by an overhang in the hill that cast a gloomy shadow over a wall of grey rock.

"Fuckers have been here," Lurrock grumbled, peering around. "Tracks are all over. Could be the way in."

Arivor was nodding, one hand clutching at the sword-and-shield pendant that hung on a cord around his neck. "I agree. I sense... darkness."

"Darkness?" It was too much of an opportunity to waste. Xunaxa seized on it gleefully, stepping close to whisper, "Inside a goblin lair? What else do you sense, wise knight of the Temple of the Sword and Shield -- goblins?"

He turned towards her, face flushing red. "Mock me if you wish, demoness, but the Temple--"

"Shut it, you two. You want to tell everyone we're coming?" It was Lurrock, standing behind Xunaxa.

Her eyes met Arivor's, seeing the guilt she felt reflected in them. Taunting the knight was all very well, but she knew the risks as well as any of them. Suddenly it struck her that Lurrock's muted roar had been much louder than her words or Arivor's.

The realisation seemed to dawn on the knight too, because he raised his eyebrows. It was the first hint of a normal reaction she'd seen from him, and she answered with a small grin. His face was carefully smooth as he muttered an apology over her shoulder to the dwarf.

They both stepped back to watch Theayala. The elf had pushed up the right sleeve of her robe to reveal a tattooed forearm. The small snake that lived inside her robe was wound around it, its head gliding along the rockface before the sorceress.

"How's that thing supposed to find the way in?" Xunaxa was just musing to herself, and was startled when Arivor replied in a low voice.

"Perhaps its mind, being simpler than ours, isn't deceived by illusions." The big man shrugged. "Or perhaps, being smaller, it sees cracks in the stone that we don't."

Xunaxa had a taunt on her lips about simple minds, but Lurrock's glowering frown quelled the words. "We're supposed to be quiet," the dwarf rumbled.

"Cleverly disguising our presence here as an earthquake, presumably." Xunaxa met the warrior's glare with a bland smile. "Only much more deadly, of course."

The dwarf glared at her over his bushy beard, then grinned. "Fucking right we're more deadly. That mudspawn won't know what's hit them." His hand patted the heavy hammer that hung at his waist. "Me and my hammer, that's what's going to hit them."

"Shh." Theayala was holding her snake close to a crack in the rock, peering closely. "Xunaxa, could I trouble you to take a look here? I believe we might have found our way in."

Xunaxa pushed her way past the knight and the warrior and went to join the slender woman. The snake hissed at her and retreated up the elf's sleeve.

"It doesn't like me."

Theayala smiled in her cool way. "Your aura is strange to him, that is all. He will come round in time, I am sure."

Xunaxa wasn't, but the other woman's confidence and assurance made her smile back. Those vivid green eyes that seemed to hold the warmth and wisdom of the world. It was hard not to do anything she asked, and feel grateful for the opportunity.

Dragging her attention away, she turned to look at the dark stone where the snake had found something. She peered closely, and reached out. Fingerless leather gloves glided over the rock, tracing the shadows as much as the lines of the stone. "Ah."

"Do you see something?" Theayala leaned in, almost breathing in her ear. The snake had disappeared into her sleeve again, but it was the closeness of her body that made Xunaxa uncomfortable. She wasn't used to this kind of casual intimacy.

"Here," she replied, pointing. Her voice sounded hoarse in her ears, and she fought the urge to clear her throat. "This line. Definitely not natural. Look, it goes all the way up here," she traced the outline, "behind the overhang."

"Clever!" The elf's lips were brushing against Xunaxa's cheek. "And so clever of you to find it."

Xunaxa felt herself blushing, and drew away, muttering under her breath. The elf-woman's closeness brought back memories of that night a week earlier, before this little expedition began. The elf was sensuous and sensual, very confident in her sexuality.

And very unlike the tiefling. Xunaxa was a loner by nature, a never-fit-in. Once she'd thought it was her appearance that upset others, or the fact that she had sharp teeth and her tongue was four times as long as anyone else's.

Later she'd realised that it was her mere presence. Wearing a hood to cover her face, she still caused ripples of discomfort wherever she went. After a while she decided to keep to herself.

Theayala had ignored that. The elf had approached her where she was sitting in the corner of an inn, and somehow by the time the sun went down they'd been in Xunaxa's bed, in the small room in the garret.

The following morning the elf had left with the rising sun, and Xunaxa had been left wondering what had happened. She was no stranger to sex, of course, but usually it was a hard fuck in the desperate small hours of the morning, or with some warrior with haunted eyes. She wasn't used to being seduced.

A metallic clank behind her brought her back to the present. Arivor had stepped forward, an impatient look on his face. "Is this the way in? Why are we wasting time?"

Theayala turned that calm gaze on him. It didn't seem to have the same effect as it did on Xunaxa, though, and he just returned it with a frown.

"Xunaxa has uncovered the entrance. But it appears that we will need some strong arms and backs to open it."

"That will be us then." Lurrock rolled forward like a boulder. "Come on, big man. Let's earn our places on this expedition."

They pressed large hands against the rock and began searching for purchase. Theayala moved to stand with Xunaxa. "Look at that," she murmured. "I do so love watching a man use his muscles."

The tiefling had to agree. The night with Theayala had been wonderful, but she preferred a pair of large hands on her, the heavy weight of a man's body, his scent and sounds. Tall, with hard muscles, curly brown hair that clung to his forehead with the sweat of his exertion...

Fuck!

Had she been fantasising about Arivor? The knight was handsome, no doubt, but he was a pompous fool. And besides, he hated her just for who and what she was. No point imagining what it would feel like to have him on top of her--

Quickly she steered her thoughts away and brought them back to the immediate future. There might be anything waiting for them on the other side of that rock.

The men huffed and puffed, leaning their weight against the flat rock that seemed to mask the entrance. Suddenly a sharp crack sounded, and the rock lurched sideways. The two men staggered, then grinned at each other and redoubled their efforts.

"Sounded like a lever or something," Xunaxa muttered. "Easy to open from the inside, almost impossible from out here."

"Unless you thought to bring along a pair of muscled men." There was a happy look on the elf's face. "Come, let us see what they have uncovered."